CFP: 2008 CCCC Feminist Workshop (6/1/07; CCCC, 4/2/08-4/5/08)

Stuart Hall warned against the institutionalization of feminism sayingthat once incorporated into the institution it would lose its vibrantsocial and political activism. bell hooks ostensibly agrees withHall?s assessment in the 2004 film, ?Is Feminism Dead?? This workshopseeks to interrogate the supposed ?death? of feminism in our culturalmoment, in which both Women?s Studies departments and ?I am not aFeminist, but. . .? figure largely. We intend to strategizinglocations for political action from academic and social perspectivesand plot a course to reinvigorate the usefulness of The F-Word.

Some of the questions this workshop seeks to explore revolve aroundfamiliar questions:

1. What is feminism? How may we strategically/momentarily (re)definefeminism to get work done? What should that work look like?2. Has the feminist movement been erased once again? 3. How and whendid feminism become The F- Word? What may feminists do to reclaim it?4. What is ?post? about ?post-feminism??5. What is the state of feminism in the academy? The Profession? Whatare the new and on-going challenges we face?6. How does rank influence the manifestation (or lack thereof) of afeminist identity? 7. What is the dynamic between the second andpotential third wave of feminist scholars/activists? 8. How mayself-identified feminists act as mentors?9. How can women inside the academy work with women outside of it?10. Where are academic men in feminist work?11. How has the rise of other socially-conscious disciplines, such asethnic studies and queer studies changed what we call feminism?12. How may we use the ?technosocial? as a rhetorical tool for bothacademic and social action?

This workshop seeks participants who wish to collaboratively framefeminism(s), find strategies, and build coalitions to get feminist workdone. Men and women are invited to speak to these objectives in short,2 ? 5 page papers. Part One of the workshop will explore and frame thecurrent state of feminism. During Part Two we will work in roundtablesessions to overview work being done about in and about feminism, andfinally, we will summarize, strategize and reflect on our work duringPart Three.

To further the goals of this workshop, it is the intention of theco-chairs that after the workshop conference proceedings will bepublished and would request that no later than a week after theworkshop, participants submit hard or electronic copies of their papers.

Please submit abstracts of no more than one, double-spaced page toeither Kirsti Cole (kkcole_at_gmail.com) or Stephanie Morgan(stephanie.s.morgan_at_gmail.com) by June 1.